LEE  MONUMENT 


SPEECH 


HON.  EDWARD  W.  POU 

OW  USTORTIi  CAROLINA 


HOUSE  OF   REPRESENTATIVES 


FEBRUARY  13,  1914 


30579—12821 


WASHINGTON 

GOVERNMENT  PRINTING  OFFICE 

1914 


SPEECH 

OF 

HON.    EDWARD   W.    POTT. 


LEE   MONUMENT. 

Mr.  POU.  Mr.  Speaker,  on  yesterday  the  ground  was  broken 
to  begin  the  work  of  the  erection  of  a  monument  in  honor  of  the 
Nation's  martyred  President,  Abraham  Lincoln.  In  reading  an 
account  of  the  exercises  in  the  morning  paper  I  was  struck 
with  some  remarks  made  by  one  of  the  members  of  the  commis- 
sion which  has  that  work  in  charge.  This  gentleman,  a  former 
Senator,  a  southern  man  and  a  Confederate  soldier,  alluded  to 
Mr.  Lincoln  as  the  greatest  of  all  American  Presidents,  and  I 
could  not  help  thinking  how  fine  it  is  to  hear  such  words  from 
a  southern  man  and  a  Confederate  soldier.     [Applause.] 

Another  monument,  Mr.  Speaker,  is  being  erected  at  the  base 
of  Capitol  Hill  in  honor  of  the  memory  of  that  great  man,  the 
soldier,  Ulysses  S.  Grant.  It  is  well  that  we  should  pay  tribute 
to  the  memory  of  these  men  in  this  way,  for  a  land  without 
monuments  is  a  land  without  memories. 

Mr.  Speaker,  sometimes  I  think  how  vain  are  many  of  the 
things  we  do  here — how  soou  they  are  forgotten.  We  see  the 
flag  flying  at  half-mast  and  then  we  ask  ourselves  who  will  be 
next.  Shall  it  be  I  or  shall  it  be  you?  Who  can  tell?  Surely 
no  one ;  but  this  we  do  know :  The  only  things  that  are  worth 
while,  the  only  things  which  will  endure,  are  not  selfish,  nar- 
row, or  partisan  things,  but  the  big,  broad,  noble  thoughts 
which  find  expression  in  our  acts.     [Applause.] 

Mr.  Lincoln's  Gettysburg  speech  was  an  inspiration.  I  verily 
believe  when  those  words  were  born  in  his  great  soul  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  very  close  to  his  God.  So  it  was  with  Ulysses  S. 
Grant  when,  surveying  this  Nation  wet  with  blood  and  tears, 
he  uttered  those  immortal  words,  "  Let  us  have  peace."  So  it  is, 
Mr.  Speaker,  with  every  man  when  he  does  any  really  great 
thing.  It  must  be  in  a  moment  when  his  soul  is  yearning  to  be 
a  little  nearer  to  God.  [Applause.]  We  fight  here  for  party 
advantage.  You  Republicans  put  us  in  a  hole,  so  to  speak, 
one  day.  We  try  to  find  an  opportunity  to  pay  you  back  on 
2  30579 — 12821 


to-morrow  in  the  same  kind  of  coin.  [Laughter.  1  These  par- 
tisan battles  are  soon  forgotten.  The  things  a  man  does  which 
are  remembered  are  the  big,  broad,  patriotic  things,  done  in 
the  moment  when  party  strife  is  forgotten.     [Applause.] 

But,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  did  not  rise  to  moralize.  I  asked  per- 
mission of  the  House  for  a  few  moments  to  make  a  practical 
suggestion.  Yes,  the  ground  was  broken  yesterday  to  lay  the 
base  of  the  great  Lincoln  memorial.  The  Grant  Monument  at 
the  base  of  Capitol  Hill  will,  I  trust,  soon  be  completed.  Now, 
as  Americans,  thankful  to  Almighty  God  for  the  greatness  of 
this  Nation,  feeling  in  our  hearts  charity  for  all  and  malice 
toward  none,  can  we  not  well  afford  to  pass  a  bill  appropriating 
from  the  Treasury  of  all  the  people  a  sum  sufficient  to  erect  a 
similar  monument  to  the  memory  of  another  man  equally  as 
great  as  Lincoln  or  Grant?  When  you  recall  those  four  years 
of  blood  and  tears,  what  are  the  names  of  the  men  who  always 
appear?  Lincoln,  Grant,  and  Lee.  [Applause.]  Yes.  these 
three  names  are  flashed  upon  the  canvas  whenever  you  recall 
the  sad  drama  which  had  its  beginning  at  Sumter  and  its  ending 
at  Appomattox.  Whatever  may  be  your  opinion  of  the  wisdom 
of  the  part  any  one  of  these  men  performed,  upon  this  point  we 
all  agree — we  reverently  thank  God  that  this  is  a  united  Nation ; 
that  each  one  of  these  men  did  his  duty  as  the  good  God  gave 
him  light  to  see;  that  they  were  all  great  because  they  were 
good;  that  in  this  respect  each  is  deserving  of  the  greatest 
monument  human  skill  can  build.     [Applause.] 

In  the  last  Congress,  Mr.  Speaker,  I  introduced  a  bill  appro- 
priating money  to  erect  a  monument  to  Gen.  Lee  just  across 
Pennsylvania  Avenue  from  the  monument  uow  being  erected  to 
the  memory  of  Gen.  Grant.  I  have  not  introduced  that  bill  in 
this  Congress  because  I  cherished  the  hope  it  would  be  intro- 
duced and  pressed  by  some  gentleman  on  the  other  side  of  the 
aisle. 

Oh,  Mr.  Speaker,  what  a  splendid  hour  it  would  be  if  we 
would  on  the  next  suspension  day  pass  such  a  bill  without  a  dis- 
senting voice.     [Applause.] 

We  of  the  South  are  glad  to  see  the  Grant  monument  rise. 
We  shall  be  glad  to  see  the  work  on  the  Lincoln  monument 
30579—12821 


rapidly  progress.  We  love  the  flag.  Our  manhood  is  always 
ready  to  fight  for  the  flag.  If  I  remember  correctly,  we  fur- 
nished 35  per  cent  of  the  Army  in  the  War  for  Independence, 
52  per  cent  in  the  War  of  1812,  65  per  cent  in  the  War  with 
Mexico,  while  in  the  War  with  Spain  we  offered  all  the  NatioD 
would  accept.  Many  of  our  young  men  offered  their  services, 
but  were  not  accepted,  because  the  quota  allotted  to  the  respec- 
tive States  was  full. 

Let  us  pause  here  for  a  moment.  Go  with  me  to  the  Wins- 
low's  shattered  deck.  Go  with  me  to  Santiago's  burning  heights. 
What  beautiful  boy  lies  here;  what  manly  officer  is  this': 
Speak,  silent  lips,  and  tell  us  which  one  of  the  sister  States  did 
yield  ye  up,  a  sacrifice  for  thy  country's  honor?  No  answer 
comes  from  the  dead,  but  we,  the  living,  are  proud  to  tell  the 
world  that  one  of  the  States  of  the  South — the  State  which  in 
part  I  have  the  honor  to  represent ;  the  same  State  which  was 
first  at  Bethel  and  last  at  Appomattox ;  also  in  6  fense  of  the 
flag  of  a  nation  forever  united  was  first  at  Cardenas  and  last 
at  Santiago.     [Applause.] 

If  an  echo  could  come  from  the  grave  of  Abraham  Lincoln, 
what  think  you  the  martyred  President  would  say?  Do  you 
doubt  for  one  moment  it  would  be  in  approval  of  the  suggestion 
to  honor  Lee.  just  as  we  are  proposing  to  honor  Grant? 

If  some  message  could  come  to  us  from  the  tomb  of  Gen. 
Grant,  do  you  doubt  for  one  moment  what  that  message  would 
be?  If  the  Grand  Array  of  the  Republic  were  called  upon  to 
vote  "  aye  "  or  "  no  "  upon  such  a  bill,  I  do  honestly  believe  it 
would  overwhelmingly  pass.  I  may  be  mistaken  in  expressing 
this  opinion,  but  I  do  not  believe  I  am. 

Let  these  three  monuments  be  erected  here  in  Washington. 
Let  them  stand  forever  to  tell  the  world  in  eloquent  silence 
that  there  is  truly  no  North  nor  South  nor  East  nor  West ;  that 
each  and  every  State  is  equal  in  degree  in  loyalty  to  the  flag; 
that  deep  in  our  hearts  we  all  believe  that  whatever  is  ordained 
of  God  is  for  the  best;  that  it  is  His  providence  that  this  Gov- 
ernment of  the  people  and  for  the  people  and  by  the  people  shall 
not  perish  from  the  earth.  [Loud  applause.] 
30579 — 12821 

o 


